What is North Notts About?

Survey Results

16th March 2011

Welcome

• The Format for this morning

Format

8:30 - Introduction by The Mayor

8:35 - Summary of main themes by Mark Slade

9:00 - Breakout groups

9:45 - Wrap-up – summary of group discussions

10:00 - Go back to work

WINNA

• What is the WINNA project?

• What Is North Notts About

• Why did we do it?

• How did it go?

Who took part?

• 57 Businesses• 82 Questions• 85% were limited companies• Wide variety of sectors - Injection Moulding to

Estate Agents, Graphic Design to Motor Vehicle franchise, and many more

• 70% had less than 50 staff

So what did they say?

• 82 Questions – lots to cover; main ones:-– Recession– Perception of the area– Local Labour market– Business networking

The Recession

• Survey from April - October 2010 - Before Current public sector cuts

The Recession

“To what extent did the recession have an impact on your business?”

Some23%

Minimal24%

Very Significant

21%

Significant21%

Other11%

The Recession

“If it did have an impact, then please indicate the effects”

Reduced Profits

21%

Pay Freeze18%

Cashflow Problems

12%Redundancies

10%

Cancelled orders

10%

Delayed Projects

15%

Other5%

Reduced Staff hours

9%

Recession

“What do you think is the main thing you have learned from the recession”

47 text answers – some interesting responses

The Recession

• Short answers– “Don’t vote labour”– “Don’t trust bankers”

• Longer answers – just a few– The recession reminded us that we must keep things

tight. We had got sloppy and complacent. It made us appreciate that we had been busy fools and we altered our process to make more profit.

The Recession - comments

“We micro-managed all the business costs and questioned everything that we spent. We also reacted quickly - in August 2008”

“Reacted quickly and pre-empted issues with clients - pay freeze was introduced to allow us to avoid increasing fees to clients which in turn stopped us losing clients”

The Recession

• Managed costs• Diversified into different areas• Moved away from non-profitable areas• Reacted quickly • What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger• Local businesses coming out of the recession

stronger and wiser

Perception

“On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog”

Perception

“What is your overall perception of North Notts as an area?”

Regeneration48%

Stagnant20%Growth

15%

Neglected13%

Skilled4%

Perception

“What business specialities do you think the area is known for?”

Ex Coalfield37%

Knitwear22%

Engineering14%

Brewery14%

Manufacturing

9%

Other 4%

Perception

“What is YOUR attitude to our area?”

Mostly Positive

56%

Becoming Positive

22%

Indifferent8%

Becoming Negative

4%

Mostly Negative

10%

Perception

“What do you think an outsiders perception is?”

Mostly Negative

50%

Becoming Negative

9%

Indifferent18%

Becoming Positive

5%

Mostly Positive

18%

Perception

• Perception different from reality• Positive locally; Negative from outsiders• “I’m alright – it’s them other boggers”• Self-fulfilling prophecy• Affects us all• Who can change this?

The Local Labour Market

The Local Labour Market

“What are your views on the local labour force?”

Lacking basic education

skills24%

Unmotivated25%

Unskilled23%

Lacking in particular

areas15%

Eager to learn12%

Highly Skilled1%

The Local Labour Market

“If you struggle to find skilled workers then is this because:-”

Skilled people unaware of local

jobs25%

Local skilled people work in

Nottingham27%

they have moved away from area

13%

They demand too high wages

13%

Other22%

Business Networking Groups

Business Networking Groups

“What are your views on business networking?”

Useful25%

Good way to maintain

relationships21%

Good to generate new

business15%

Always the same people

10%

Proactive7%

Waste of time8%

Intimidating2%

Other12%

Business Networking Groups

“Are you a member of the following groups or clubs?”

Notts Derby Chamber

Commerce38%

Mansfield 202031%

Industry specific groups

22%Charitable Trust

4%

Inspire Business Club2%

Business Scene Breakfast

3%

Is that it?

• That’s only part of the survey

• Access to funding, Community, Local media, Green issues, Training, where they shop, socialise etc also covered

• If you’re interested in a particular area let us know

What next?

• North Notts PLC

• Topics:-– Perception– Recession– Where do we go from here?

Split into your groups

• Summary of the survey– We’re handing out summary of some of the

main points of the survey – some stats on there to help your discussion

• 15 Minutes on each topic – I’ll keep time

• Round-up of the main points at the end

Discussion subject 1Perception – how do we improve perception of

the area both within the area and more importantly outside the area?

Time – 15 minutes

Discussion subject 2Recession – how do we recession-proof the

area – so that future recessions will not cause any lasting harm to the area

Time – 15 minutes

Discussion subject 3Where do we go from here – What can we do

to capitalise on the information that has been gathered – who should take this forward and how will they do it?

Time – 15 minutes

Round-up

• Perception – summary of points made

• Recession – summary of points made

• Where do we go from here? – summary of points made

What Is North Notts About?

Thank you for coming